Nurses, hospital administrators, nurse educators, and others will participate in an opening celebration on the UAMS campus from 12:15 to 1:15 p.m. in Education Building II, Room B112.

The UAMS Rural Hospital Program (RHP) will begin the service with a demonstration video projected on a large screen in the campus TV studio and simultaneous online distribution to classrooms in rural hospitals around Arkansas. The presentation will include videotaped lectures and examinations on important topics in nursing care.

The video classes will offer educational credits as continuing education units (CEUs), and nurses will earn one credit for each previously recorded 50-minute class they view online. Tuition for these classes is low, and hospitals with broadband Internet connections should be able to access the streaming video programs. Many home computer connections also will support the programs.

"We are very pleased to offer this new educational service to the nurses who are so vital to the health and well being of the state," Charles O. Cranford, D.D.S., M.P.A., UAMS vice chancellor for regional programs, said.

Some rural hospitals struggle to meet the demands of providing access to quality health care in a changing environment. With nurses in short supply across Arkansas and the nation, it is particularly difficult for rural hospitals to arrange time off and send nurses to distant locations for necessary continuing education classes. Meanwhile, new state requirements for licensure require nurses to continually update their knowledge and skills and earn CEUs.

"The mission of the RHP is to strengthen hospitals by sharing resources available at UAMS," the program’s director, Ann Bynum, Ed.D., commented. "For eight years, the program has offered for-credit college-level nursing education to aspiring nurses through an interactive video network, and now the program is taking the next step forward."

According to Cindy Davis, director of nursing education for the RHP, "Online continuing education will give nurses everywhere in the state greater access to the CEUs they want and need. Nurses can view streaming video segments online at home or at the workplace." The video topics include: management of abdominal aortic aneurysms, pediatric injuries from accidents involving all terrain vehicles, cystic fibrosis testing, and many others.

Nurses may log-on to the RHP web site at: http://rhp.uams.edu/cme.htm. After establishing a password and entering basic demographic information, the nurse will view a selection of classes on various topics. After selecting and registering for a class and viewing the video, the nurse completes a general evaluation concerning the technology and quality of the program and an evaluation of his or her mastery of the information in the class. After completing the evaluations, the nurse can print a form and mail it to the RHP office. The nurse will receive documentation by mail of the CEU credits he or she has earned.

Currently, 22 hospitals and clinics are participating in a discount CEU program for nurses. This allows hospitals to access the continuing education classes via the interactive video network or the Internet at a minimal rate.

"We are so excited about the online nursing continuing education courses. The Delta Area Health Education Center (AHEC) is utilizing these services to increase the knowledge base for nurses in our area," said Karan Cox, FNP, associate director of the Delta AHEC.

Julie Hall-Barrow, M.S., associate director of program development for the RHP, created and implemented this online education project. Working closely with Gary Chitty, regional programs information systems manager, and other RHP staff, Hall-Barrow also recently redesigned the Rural Hospital Program Web site. Pat Pierce, a consultant to the Rural Hospital Program, said she used several programming languages and RealServer "to build an exciting and responsive interactive site."

For more information about earning continuing education credits online or through the interactive video network, nurses may contact the Rural Hospital Program in Little Rock by phone at 501-686-2590.

In addition to nursing classes, the Rural Hospital Program will offer continuing education units in medicine, pharmacy, public health, and secondary health education.